The little guy vomited on the living room rug this weekend. My guess is the toy mouse tail he swallowed shortly before did not agree with his stomach. I was rather distressed and didn't think to examine the contents before cleaning up. Logging this here for future reference.

Police responded to the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Court Street at about 3:30 pm on July 13, after a caller reported seeing a scraggily haired man of Middle Eastern descent with a bomb tied around his chest. When police arrived, they described seeing a man kneeling on a prayer rug with a fanny pack around his waist and an oversized-dial clock hanging from his neck.

The bomb squad and Emergency Services Unit were called to the scene, two blocks of Court Street and two blocks of Atlantic Avenue were temporarily closed to traffic, and a fruit vendor on the southwest corner of the intersection was ordered to move his wares.

[snip]

By 4 pm, police had determined that the "bomb" was only a small black bag with a leather strap, a clock with a large face, exposed nuts and bolts, a calculator and a small pan. The "terrorist" turned out to be a homeless man with a pillow, rather than a rug.

[Incidentally, I rarely read Brooklyn newspapers since I absorb too much news on a daily basis as is, but I was looking for references to the Chipotle which is opening in Brooklyn Heights (Montague between Court and Clinton) at the end of this month.]

Noticed today that as a result of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) of 2003, consumers are entitled to a free credit report each year. I browsed the various credit reporting web sites, however, and all of them still charge a small fee. Apparently, this part of the law doesn't go into effect until December 1, 2004 (and later depending on your state). New York residents must wait until September 1, 2005...

The final rule also provides for a gradual, structured roll-out of the centralized source. The centralized source will become available in cumulative stages, over a period of nine months, rolling-out from west to east beginning December 1, 2004.

The Republican-led House bowed to a White House veto threat Thursday and stood by the USA Patriot Act, defeating an effort to block the part of the anti-terrorism law that helps the government investigate people's reading habits.

The effort to defy Bush and bridle the law's powers lost by 210-210, with a majority needed to prevail.